Online shoppers are rather displeased these days with their overall interaction with brands, which are seen as not digging deep enough to win and retain customers. This is the key finding of a new report on Internet-based commerce, which details why firms of all kinds are still seen as staying too close to traditional methods.
More points, please
Close to half of respondents have excommunicated a company from their online lives for failing to win them over with enough personalization, promos and other perks. Free delivery is just for starters. It’s no longer impressive for product and service providers to give just a few token privileges, in an age where customers can easily find competitors eager to show that they could do a better job.
Wrecking the basics
For a label like “influencer”, influencers may not all that influential. They rank lowly in terms of trustworthiness in the new study. Celebrities are ranked even lower. At the top are family members and colleagues. The more distant the physical proximity and access to real-world interactions, the less likely the influence is, according to the report. At least movie stars have another, more important line of work, and are viewed as taking on work in advertisements because they are valuable for who they are more than what they say.
Lobbying behind the scenes
But many influencers have fallen into the trap that journalists have, by having a career that invites others to persuade them to promote a particular, often one-sided message. Least trusted of all, according to the report, and for similar reasons, were politicians. This reinforces a timeless PR message: if you are in a position where what you say and how you say it are taken note of, stay clear of corruptive influences if you want your reputation to last.
The Human & Digital Communications Agency
Our award-winning communications team blends human interactions & digital engagement seamlessly to produce results for brands.
